Shaanxi Province, in the very heart of China, receives its name because it lies to the west (Xi) of Shaan (Henan Province's old name). Encompassing most of the middle stretch of the Yellow River, the 200,000-sq. meter province boasts a population of 35 million, a relatively large concentration for its size and backwater location. The province has long been a strange mix of harsh living, with its barren and dusty northern plains, and luxurious civilization, centered upon its ancient capital Xi'an. In such varied circumstances the province has a rich historical legacy, both ancient and modern. 

From the Tang things went downhill for Shaanxi. Being so close to the hard to control north, the province had long been fairly unstable, and as the less volatile eastern coast became favored by successive emperors, Shaanxi was left behind. Poverty stricken peasants were again to become the norm here, and so it remained for many years. Rebellion and famine left many dead, and it was in such a condition that the communists, harassed into a Long March by a carefully Machiavellian Nationalist Government (Guomindang), were to find the province in late 1936. The "Red Army", under the overall command of a Mr. Mao Zedong, were to set up base in a little known town called Yan'an. From this area, and from a fame derived from practical "Policies for the People" (land redistribution, arming the peasants, protection etc.), the Communist Party of China (CPC) were to start their attempts to overcome both the devilish foreign menace, the Japanese, and the betrayers of patriarchy, the Guomindang.